I was shocked by all the consumer complaintss regarding Startup Essentials, but now, also encouraged that something might soon be done about them because there are so many of us complaining. I had to give up my job to take care of an ill and elderly parent full time and I was desperate to find a way to generate an income from home. The unsolicited call I received from Mark Eaton with Startup Essentials seemed heaven-sent and I was taken in by his statement that they were a Christian-based company and his promise of a potentially lucrative part-time home business. When I hung up the phone (after almost 1-1/2 intensive hours of exquisite salesmanship) and actually had time to 'think twice' about what I was getting into, it was too late because I had already signed the 'non-cancelable' contract which Mr. Eaton had so obligingly emailed and walked me through. No time was permitted for me to actually read the thing which is several pages of fine print and is 'miraculously' set up to be signed over the internet.
During the 'interview, ' I specifically asked if I could think it over before making a decision and was emphatically told 'no.' Over and over during the sales pitch I was told that if I didn't make the decision right then, the 'opportunity' would immediately be lost to me and offered to someone else. The promises of both superb personal and internet support, a top-of-the-line laptop (NOT!), a top-notch course in marketing and building my own web site boosted my hopes and my enthusiasm and made me throw caution to the wind. It has become one of the biggest regrets of my life because I am now paying out $140.00 a month for 4 years, which I can ill afford and, surprise, surprise, haven't made a dime (nor do I expect to now) from my lucrative home business. Also, it was my understanding that I would be paying for Start-up Essentials superlative marketing course not a 4-year lease of lousy equipment! When I actually started the course I found that most of SE's superlative resources were links to other web sites that didn't appear to have any actual connection to Startup Essentials.
Startup Essentials' Mr. Eaton was quite emphatic that they wanted me to be very successful in my business because if I wasn't successful, they weren't successful, but no one has ever contacted me to find out why I'm not processing any credit card purchases, which is how they supposedly make their money. I never got as far as the credit card processor because my first clue that SE was a scam was when the speaker, at the very beginning of their own tutorial on the laptop they'd sent, prominently mentioned USA Card Services as a suggested provider of credit card processing machines. Out of curiosity I looked up USA Card Services on the internet and was stunned to find that the company was joined at the hip with Startup Essentials and A-1 Leasing and all were apparently ripping people off right and left. Isn't collusion a crime?
Buyer beware! Don't sign ANYTHING you aren't given time to read and think about clearly. And a little research goes a long way. A simple search on Startup Essentials would have saved me a lot of money and misery! I, too, am hoping to find a legal way out of this mess and hopefully a way to stop these people from hurting anyone else.
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